First phase of polling for 38 seats in Manipur today: 10 facts

Guwahati:
Voting begins today in the troubled northeastern state of Manipur, where the BJP-led coalition is hoping for a second term in power in a multi-cornered contest. Thirty-eight seats out of 60 states went to polls amidst tight security from 7 am.

1. The first phase of polling covers 29 seats in Manipur’s Valley districts – Imphal West, Imphal East and Bishnupur. The rest are in the hilly districts of Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Ferzawal.

2. Apart from BJP and Congress, National People’s Party of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is also contesting 38 seats this time. The National People’s Party and the Naga People’s Front, which have been part of the BJP-led ruling coalition, are going it alone in this election, expressing dissatisfaction with the N Biren Singh government. Janata Dal is contesting elections in the United States after 20 years.

3. Congress emerged as the single largest party in Manipur in 2017 winning 28 out of 60 seats. But despite winning 21 seats, BJP formed the government in the state with the help of National People’s Party and Naga People’s Front.

4. The state has witnessed a high-voltage campaign, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah holding several political rallies. The Kuki National Organization, an armed underground group, has made an “appeal” to the people of hilly areas to vote for the BJP, causing unease among the opposition parties.

5. Manipur is a fight for survival for the Congress, which has lost a lot of ground in the Northeast since 2014. The party’s former chief minister Ibobi Singh has said that they are trying to “compromise” with other parties so that they can move faster if they fail to secure a majority but have emerged as the single largest party.

6. Blaming former governor Najma Heptulla for the 2017 mess, Mr Singh said, “The governor did not allow us to form the government. Union ministers from the BJP were sitting with him at the Raj Bhavan. Congress will be revived in this election.” .

7. Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agarwal told NDTV that militancy adds to the overall challenge of holding elections in the state and 1,900 polling stations are considered either sensitive or critical.

8. “Over 2,000 incidents related to elections have taken place in the last 50 days,” Agarwal said. He also said that separate arrangements have been made for the activists of the rebel groups willing to vote. These groups have gone underground since the declaration of a ceasefire in 2008.

9. Home Minister Amit Shah has assured people that the government will hold peace talks with all Kuki rebel groups and the matter will be resolved in the next five years. Speaking at a political rally, Mr Shah said, since the problem of Bodo insurgency in neighboring Assam has been resolved, no Kuki youth will have to take up arms anymore.

10. The second phase and the last phase of elections in the state are on March 5. The counting of votes will take place on March 10, which will include Uttar Pradesh and four other states.